Who was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence?

Who was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence?

• A. George Washington
• B. Benjamin Franklin
• C. Thomas Jefferson
• D. John Adams

Answer: (C)

Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. He was chosen as the main drafter for the Continental Congress’s Committee of Five and produced most of the text in June 1776. He laid out the argument that people have natural rights, that government exists to protect those rights, and that when a government becomes destructive, the people have the right to change or abolish it. He also lists the colonists’ grievances against King George III to justify breaking from Britain. The document was adopted by the Congress on July 4, 1776. While Jefferson did the writing, fellow delegates like Benjamin Franklin and John Adams helped shape and revise the wording, and George Washington led the army rather than writing the declaration.

Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. He was chosen as the main drafter for the Continental Congress’s Committee of Five and produced most of the text in June 1776. He laid out the argument that people have natural rights, that government exists to protect those rights, and that when a government becomes destructive, the people have the right to change or abolish it. He also lists the colonists’ grievances against King George III to justify breaking from Britain. The document was adopted by the Congress on July 4, 1776. While Jefferson did the writing, fellow delegates like Benjamin Franklin and John Adams helped shape and revise the wording, and George Washington led the army rather than writing the declaration.